Optoelectronic components, for example light emitting diodes (LEDs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), or solar cells, are being used increasingly widely. In general lighting, for example, LEDs and OLEDs are being used increasingly as a surface light source. However, LEDs and OLEDs are increasingly making inroads in the automotive field as well.
An optoelectronic component may include an optoelectronic layer structure on a carrier. The optoelectronic layer structure may include an anode and a cathode with a functional layer system therebetween, an organic functional layer system in the case of an OLED. The organic functional layer system may include one or a plurality of emitter layers in which electromagnetic radiation is generated, a charge generating layer structure composed of in each case two or more charge generating layers (CGL) for charge generation, and one or a plurality of electron blocking layers, also designated as hole transport layer(s) (HTL), and one or a plurality of hole blocking layers, also designated as electron transport layer(s) (ETL), in order to direct the current flow.
The carrier can be formed in a flexible fashion, such that it is bendable simply and nondestructively. In OLED technology for flexible OLEDs, the choice of the correct material for the carrier is a major challenge. While plastic, for example PET, may not be sufficiently air- and watertight, metal is generally relatively rough and nontransparent. One solution is to use flexible glass, wherein the carrier may include glass or consist of glass. However, such a glass carrier is difficult to handle and to singulate in conventional production methods.
A flexible glass carrier can be produced in a float glass method, for example, wherein the liquid glass solder is applied to a viscous tin melt in a continuous method. The glass solder floats on the tin melt and spreads uniformly like a film. Afterward, the glass solder is cooled. After solidification, the glass solid formed by the glass solder is singulated. The singulation can be carried out by means of cutting or sawing, for example. The optoelectronic layer structure can be formed before or after singulation on the glass solid.
Furthermore, in the conventional production methods it is difficult to provide the flexible glass with a scattering layer for coupling out light and thus for increasing the efficiency of the optoelectronic component. By way of example, scattering particles can be applied to the finished glass carrier and the glass carrier can be heated beforehand, in the course of this or afterward in such a way that the scattering particles sink wholly or partly into the glass carrier and are embedded therein.